A/N: ah HAH! I found the missing chapter. Please enjoy.
Hermione
For the rest of the journey to Hogwarts, Hermione marveled at the sun-filled valley, which looked as if it were on fire.
"Hermione, are you alright?" Harry asked as the train slowed to a stop.
"Huh?" she asked, grabbing Crookshanks and putting him in his cage, "Yeah, I'm fine.
Harry skeptically looked at her, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm fine," she said, carrying the cat cage with her off of the train, Harry and Ron close behind.
Hermione walked up to an empty horseless carriage and put Crookshanks on the seat as she started to climb in. Ron put Pig's cage next to Crookshanks and hoisted himself up into the carriage.
He reached out to grab Hedwig's cage from Harry, but Harry had stopped dead and was staring, open-mouthed, at the vacant space between the carriages.
Hermione then remembered that he could see the thestrals that pulled the black carriages and why.
"Harry, it's alright. You've been able to see them for a year now," she soothingly said.
"No," Harry said, "It's not that, come here," he said.
Hermione cautiously got out of the carriage and walked over next to Harry, "What is it, Harry?" she asked.
He grabbed her hand, and as he did so Hermione saw, out of the corner of her eyes, Ron make a sudden movement. When he had grabbed her hand, he put it where the horse would have been if there was one, but Hermione didn't feel anything.
"There's nothing there," she said, waving her hand through the air where the Thestral should have been.
"Where'd they go?" Harry asked her.
Hermione's mind was blank, "I…I don't know, Harry."
Harry groaned, "Oh! Last year Umbridge tried to get rid of them, remember?" he asked her.
"Oh yeah!" she exclaimed, remembering, "But, Harry, what's going to pull the carriages this year?" she questioned him.
"Are you guys done out there?" Ron asked.
"Hold on!" Hermione told him.
Harry shrugged, "I suppose we can ask Hagrid," he said, gesturing to the large, half-giant professor calling, "Firs years, over here! Firs years! Don be shy now! Come on!"
Harry and Hermione ran over to him, "Oh, hi Hermy, Harry," he said, "Firs years!"
Hermione looked at Harry, revolted, "Hermy?" she mouthed at him. He only shrugged.
"Hagrid," he said, "What's happened to the Thestrals?"
Hagrid stopped mid-sentence, "Oh, them. Ministry o Magic got rid o them," he replied.
"What?" Hermione exclaimed, "Why?"
"Firs years! Follow me!" he yelled, then said quieter, "Can't talk now."
Harry and Hermione nodded, then ran back to the carriage to give Ron an explanation.
As they were making their way a well-built, tall boy knocked Hermione down.
"Watch it!" she yelled as Harry helped her to her feet.
"You watch it!" he nastily spit back, pushing her again and disappearing in the crowd.
"Idiot," she muttered.
When they got into the carriage, Harry and Hermione explained everything to Ron.
"But, what's going to…" Ron began as the carriage gave a jolt and moved forward, "Bloody hell," he said, looking petrified.
Hermione looked out the window, seeing several second years also looking out their windows, "There's nothing out there," she said.
Like every other year, the carriages moved to the front of Hogwarts and the students got out, gathering in the Great Hall and waiting for the First Years.
Harry, Ron and Hermione all got out and found seats at the Gryffindor table. Not long after, a group of huddling scared looking first years made their way between the two middle tables and up to the front.
For a moment, an old hat with a tear in the brim only sat on the stool in front of the whole school. Finally the tear opened and the song for the new school year echoed throughout the hall.
"Four of the finest friends,
Started a school one year,
Each one a house tends,
And this year we must fear
What happened long ago,
Danger is among us,
We must not stoop so low,
Nor must we ever fuss.
These were the friends a-four;
Brave and caring Gryffindor.
And never to go a-flaw;
Smartened up Ravenclaw.
They will show you all their stuff;
There's the mix, Hufflepuff!
Finally cheaters they have been;
Mostly hated Slytherin.
So my students this year
May face what they all fear.
There is danger all abroad,
And among us is a fraud.
Watch your backs, keep your tongues,
We must catch him; he's the one."
At this, the hat bowed to the four tables then remained still.
"A bit short this year," Harry muttered.
"A bit cheery too," Ron said, looking at Hermione. She had been thinking the same thing.
"And among us is a fraud," she murmured, frowning, "And another warning," she added. At that moment she was interrupted.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," Professor McGonagall explained.
Hermione clearly recalled her saying that exact same thing in her first year when she was to be sorted.
McGonagall picked the hat up and glanced at a very long piece of parchment, then looked at the sea of First Years, "Aaronel, Finneas!"
A very timid looking boy slowly walked to the stool and sat on it as the professor sat the hat on his head.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" it immediately shouted.
The boy looked relieved and trotted over to the Hufflepuff table where he was warmly greeted.
Hermione ignored the rest of the sorting and whispered to Harry and Ron until a name caught her attention.
"Riddle, Vincent!" McGonagall shouted.
A very athletic looking boy, who looked older than eleven, strode up to the stool and confidently sat. It was the same boy who had knocked Hermione down.
Hermione narrowed her eyes. She looked at Harry and expected him to be looking at her, but apparently he hadn't noticed anything seeing that he was talking to Ron.
She looked up at Dumbledore and saw him glance at her, give her a slight nod, and look back at the boy, clearly interested to see which house he was put in.
"Interesting," the hat said, "Very interesting."
Hermione was hoping with all her heart that what she was thinking wasn't true.
"You would do well in both Slytherin and Gryffindor," the hat continued, "But where to put you…" it trailed off.
Now Harry was looking up at the front with narrowed eyes.
"Harry," she whispered, hoping he had noticed the same thing she had.
He looked at her, "That's almost exactly what it told me when we were being sorted," he said.
"Oh," she said, surprised. That wasn't exactly the answer she was expecting.
"What?" he asked.
"N…nothing," she muttered, looking back up at the front. The hat was still deciding where to put Vincent.
"Slytherin? Or Gryffindor…" it said this several times and McGonagall was looking fidgety.
A sudden breeze wafted through the room as if the ceiling had opened up. This wasn't hard to believe since the Great Hall's ceiling looked as if it actually were the night sky.
Ron shivered and looked around whispering, "It's a bit drafty in here, don't you think?" he asked, his eyes finally resting on Hermione.
Hermione was suddenly sucked into them and couldn't remember what she was going to say…or even where she was; only that she was with Ron.
"Uh…hmmm…well, I…er…" she stuttered unblinkingly.
"Hermione, are you alright?" Harry asked, looking concerned.
She snapped out of it and looked past them up to the boy, "Yeah, I'm fine."
She glanced at Snape who looked fully interested in this boy's sorting.
"SLYTHERIN!" the hat finally shouted, making her jump.
Hermione's eyes narrowed again, "Slytherin," she whispered to herself, looking at the wall opposite of her.
"Wha?" Ron asked.
"Nothing," she said, watching the last boy be sorted.
"Smith, Brad!" McGonagall called.
A seventeen-year-old looking boy, just like Vincent, boldly strode up to the stool and happily sat down.
"An exchange student," the hat began, "In your seventh year?" it asked.
Hermione held her breath. He was definantly good looking.
"Yes…sir…" he awkwardly said.
"From the U.S." it said.
"Yep," he said as if he had gone through this before.
Several people laughed.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled.
Brad broadly smiled and walked over to the Gryffindor table.
"Hey," he greeted Harry, sitting next to him.
"Hello," Harry uncertainly said.
"How're yall?" he asked.
Hermione gave a short, but quiet laugh. There was no mistaking he was from the U.S.
"We're just fine," Ron offensively said, giving him an appalled look.
At that moment Dumbledore stood up and Brad looked up at him as if he'd been waiting for his speech all night.
"I would like to welcome all that have joined our school this year and to welcome back all of our returning pupils!"
Several people cheered. Ron darkly looked around, "It's not the same without Fred and George," he said.
"Oh Ron," Hermione whispered, "It'll be okay."
"I would like three words before we begin the feast!" he continued, "Please, enjoy yourselves!"
Food suddenly appeared on the table, making all the first years gasp in awe. Ron dug into the food, forgetting about any problems on his mind.
"So, what's the ritual around here?" Brad asked, picking up his fork.
Hermione sat up straight, "Usually after desert, Professor Dumbledore gives a start of the term speech, then we all go up to bed. And," she said, looking around and saw what she was looking for, "Yes, they're handing out schedules right now. After Dumbledore's speech, we go up to bed and classes start tomorrow."
He looked at her. He had blond, spiked hair and bright-blue eyes and the most handsome smile she had ever seen.
"Interesting," he said, looking down at his plate.
Hermione cleared her throat, "So…" she began as Ron looked from her plate to her face.
"You aren't going to start spew again, are you?" he asked with his mouth half full.
"Ronald, it was S.P.E.W. and no, I told you I've given up on that!" she exclaimed, feeling her face grow warm.
"Well, why haven't you put anything on your plate?" he asked after he had swallowed his food.
"I was…distracted," she said; looking at Brad, then back to Ron.
"Distracted?" he stormed, "Who was distracting you?" he angrily asked.
"I happened to be talking to the new student, Brad, okay? I'm just trying to be sociable!" she said, trying not to get angry.
"Yeah, a little too sociable!" Ron loudly said.
"I can have other friends than you, Ronald!"
He was speechless, and he quite obviously didn't know what to say.
"I'm sorry," she said, looking back at Brad who was staring wide-eyed at her, "He gets like that sometimes," she explained, quiet enough so that Ron wouldn't hear her.
"I…yeah," he stuttered, "Sorry, I don't mean to cause any trouble around here…"
She interrupted him, laughing, "Don't worry, Ron and I have been in a fair share of fights. So have Harry and I."
When she had said "Harry" he looked up at her, "You mean, Harry Potter?" he asked.
"Oh yes, you were just talking to him," she said.
Brad turned to Harry and tapped him on the shoulder, "What?" he crossly asked, "Oh, sorry, I thought you were…some one else. Hi," he awkwardly said.
"Hi, you're Harry Potter," Brad unnecessarily said.
"Yes, I know that," Harry replied, "Who are you?"
"I'm Brad Smith. I didn't realize who you were until…uh…she," he said, pointing to Hermione, "told me."
"She's Hermione," Harry informed him.
"Oh, really?" he asked, looking at her.
"Yes, what of it?" she asked, grabbing some chips and putting them on her plate, trying to suppress a grin.
"It's just weird…different is all."
"Yes, I am well aware of that," she said, looking him in the eye, "But people seem to know how to pronounce it."
"That's good," he said, grinning back at her.
"So why did you transfer here?" she asked him as Harry went back to his conversation with Ron.
"Because the wizarding school in Texas that I was going to didn't have the class I needed to do what I wanted to do."
"Texas?" Hermione asked, I wonder if that's a country in the U.S., she thought to herself.
"It's a state," he explained.
"Oh," she said, blushing.
"Anywho, my mom and dad read about Hogwarts in some flyers and decided that I should go here to finish up and get the classes I need."
"Hmmm," she said, interested, "And what are you wanting to do?" she innocently asked.
He snickered, "You mean, besides get to know you better?" he asked her.
Her blush deepened, but she smiled, flattered, "Apart from that, yes."
"I would actually like to be an auror," he said, catching Harry's attention.
"Really?" Harry asked.
"Oh yeah, sure. You too?" Brad asked him.
"Yeah. Well, that is if Snape lets me pass Potions," he darkly said.
"Harry, I will help you with every bit of homework this year," she said, feeling sympathy for him. She knew how desperately he wanted to get into that field of work, but she knew Snape would make it almost impossible.
He skeptically looked at her, "Really?" he repeated.
"Of course!" she said.
"Hey, what about me?" Ron asked.
Hermione rolled her eyes and didn't look at him, "If I must, Ronald," she said, looking down at her plate again.
"Gee, Hermione, don't be all enthusiastic or anything," Ron sarcastically replied.
"I'd like some help too, if you don't mind," Brad told her, winking.
"No," she said, grinning, "Not at all."
